Archive for
October, 2017

The below piece is a written follow-up to oral testimony given at an Oct. 19, 2017 public hearing at the Clean Water Council, c/o the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) in Trenton. This written testimony was provided Oct. 31. The Clean Water Council holds an annual hearing and this year the topic was stormwater management. The AEA comments deal with explaining the limited role authorities currently have and the conditions under which authorities may have a role in statewide efforts to address non-point source pollution.

AEA Response Testimony at Clean Water Council Public Hearing:

Taking Stormwater Management to the Next Level

The Association of Environmental Authorities is a trade association that represents utilities authorities and municipal utilities owned by the public, along with private-sector businesses that support them. These members provide clean water and solid waste services to about eight million New Jerseyans. We are grateful for this opportunity to offer comments to the NJ Clean Water Council.

After the passage of the Clean Water Act and the Safe Drinking Water Act, local governments in New Jersey partnered to create county and regional authorities to address water and wastewater service needs. Individual municipalities created municipal utilities authorities to serve their own water and wastewater needs and in some cases those of neighbors as well. Through authorities and other service delivery models, New Jersey has achieved significant reductions in point-source pollution. Beach closings are now rare. Aquatic life has re-emerged. With new analytical methods for testing water that can detect ever-smaller concentrations of metals and toxic chemicals, there is every reason to hope for continued improvement in outcomes for point-source pollution reduction. Now, it is time for non-point source pollution to be addressed with the same systematic efforts.

AEA members have an interest in the dialogue about non-point source pollution reduction. Addressing stormwater pollution can help wastewater and drinking water service providers save money for their ratepayers in reduced treatment costs. Influxes of stormwater can damage the wastewater treatment process and threaten the ability of treatment plants to comply with discharge permits.

It makes sense to include existing drinking water and wastewater agencies in statewide efforts to address non-point source pollution. They already know about how to treat “raw” water to deliver safe “finished” drinking water and how to treat wastewater so that it can be safely discharged into rivers and streams. Authorities are experienced water infrastructure managers, handling operations and maintenances and engaging in long-term capital and financial planning (asset management).[1] However, authorities are not statutorily responsible for stormwater. Engaging them as partners would require amending the statutes that govern authorities. The law would have to be amended to unequivocally permit authorities to work with MS-4 permittees on stormwater. It would have to permit a new funding mechanism as well— authorities cannot be asked to stretch existing drinking water and/or wastewater funding for stormwater. They need existing funding to maintain water quality and infrastructure.

In the event legislation is created to permit stormwater utilities, water/wastewater authorities should be among those permitted to participate and collect user fees. Legislation should address conditions under which a stormwater facility can be turned over to the stormwater utility and how access for on-going maintenance would be handled. Collaboration and efficient use of existing resources and service delivery systems should be encouraged*[2]. At the same time, authorities must be able to determine the impact participation might have on existing water/wastewater responsibilities and whether it would benefit existing customers. The best outcomes will be achieved if regulations take into account changing conditions, and if they are allow on site-specific investigation, proper sampling, appropriate testing, and an integrated approach to water quality management.

New Jersey can’t address stormwater or any of its environmental challenges effectively without the political will to do so. Citizens, business leaders and local officials must understand the consequences of ignoring the problems of non-point source pollution and the great benefits of addressing them. Many people and organizations, including the Clean Water Council, are working to increase the understanding and awareness that can lead to action. CSO owners like Passaic Valley Sewerage Commission and North Hudson Sewerage Authority are engaging with their communities. Authorities such as Landis Sewerage Authorities, Camden County MUA, Atlantic County Utilities Authority, Mount Laurel Township MUA, and Brick Township MUA reach beyond the gates of their treatment plants to connect with and educate the public. Many authorities work informally with public works departments on stormwater basin cleaning or similar activities.

AEA commends the Clean Water Council for choosing this topic for its public hearing and urges the Council to continue its important work with the Department of Environmental Protection and other stakeholders on non-point source pollution.

Respectfully submitted by Peggy Gallos

AEA Executive Director

Clean Water Council appointed Peggy in 2015 to a role as a technical advisor. Jim Cosgrove chairs the CWC. His firm, Kleinfelder, has been a long-time member of AEA and Jim is an active member of the AEA NJPDES Committee. For more information about the CWC, click here. http://www.nj.gov/dep/cleanwatercouncil/

[1] Jackson Township MUA is an example of an authority that has managed its capital costs and debts in a balanced manner that has kept rates stable, with a minimum of increases.

The AEA annual meeting and conference will feature keynote speaker Chuck Underwood, an expert in the sociology of generations, as well as other programs, panels and speakers –plus opportunities to make valuable connections and earn water, wastewater and engineering credits.

The event is slated for Tuesday, Nov. 14 at Caesar’s in Atlantic City and will wrap up on Wednesday with a closing reception at 4 p.m. Commissioners and executive directors are invited to a free lunchtime session with Mr. Underwood at noon on Tuesday. In “Talkin’ ‘bout our Generations: Winning over Boomers, Xers & Millennials,” Mr. Underwood will offer a lively interactive workshop aimed at giving commissioners essential tools to bridging the generation gap, both when dealing with employees and ratepayers.

Mr. Underwood’s keynote will begin at 5 p.m. A renowned author, speaker and lecturer, Mr. Underwood pioneered the field of generational study and business strategies, leading to the creation of his firm, The Generational Imperative, Inc. His clients include business giants such as Hewlett-Packard, Procter &; Gamble, Time Warner Cable, and many others. He hosted the PBS television series America’s Generations With Chuck Underwood.

Tuesday evening will be capped off with a networking reception at 6:15 p.m. It’s a great way to meet colleagues in the field, learn about challenges and successes in other authorities, make valuable connections to enhance your career or business, and just plain get to know people who face the same workplace issues you do.

On Wednesday, the AEA’s annual meeting kicks off at 8:30 a.m., when the 2018 slate of officers and board members will be presented for a vote. (The voting delegate from each member organization is eligible to vote.) In addition to a “State of the Association” presentation, AEA President Mike Ruppel will deliver a “farewell” address.

At 9:15 a.m. a presentation entitled, “Impact of the Election on AEA Membership,” will be made by David A. Smith of the Princeton Public Affairs Group (PPAG). Mr. Smith will focus his experienced eye on how the gubernatorial election may affect AEA members. Richard Erickson of First Environment, Inc. and Dan Rizza of Climate Central will follow that up at 9:45 a.m. with a discussion of tools and analyses that can help New Jersey cope with sea-level rise. The “safety loss” portion of the program will include presentations designed to improve safety, will address risk management and personnel procedures and policies that reduce financial liability.

After lunch Chris Sturm of New Jersey Future will moderate a panel on the Water Quality Accountability Act. An expert panel will unpack the impact of this legislation today on drinking water purveyors and in the future, very likely wastewater systems too. “Using Envision to Better Vet Capital Improvement Projects” will be presented by Evan Bowles and a panel on funding capital projects, presented by Bob Beinfield, Doug Bacher and Heather Litzebauer, will offer insight into how to plan and finance a capital program or repair and replacement schedule. Our closing reception will be at 4pm. For more information, visit http://www.aeanj.org or follow us on Facebook.

One of the AEA’s core missions has always been to assist our membership in keeping up with current trends, methodologies, and technologies, all in order to ensure they stay abreast of our changing world. We recognize that we can’t do that without ensuring our own house is in order, which is why we are making strong strides in the digital realm, especially when it comes to social media.

Our members use and interact with social media on a daily basis. So do the ratepayers they serve, the other agencies and authorities they deal with, and the government agencies they must contend with. Our goal is to stand alongside them as we adjust to the changing media landscape. With that in mind, the AEA is expanding its social media presence in a way we believe will benefit both our members and the public at large.

Your portal to seeing how we are expanding our digital efforts begins at our web page, aeanj.org. Newly redesigned and in the midst of changes still to come, you’ll not only have access to resources our membership finds extremely useful – both the Career Center and Document Library have proven to be invaluable resources – you’ll also find links to our social media channels.

First and foremost among those social media outlets is Facebook. You’ll find us at facebook.com/AEANJcleanwater. Facebook is a truly social platform, which is why your Public Information Officer or PR staff may have noticed us connecting our page to your agency or authority’s page. In keeping with the nature of the platform, our goals on Facebook are multi-faceted. On the simplest level, we’ll be more frequently delivering information via the platform, both to our membership (such as information on our upcoming Annual Conference) and to the general public (such as tips on how to use water efficiently or updates on laws that impact their lives).

Yet Facebook is not merely for broadcasting information. Expect to see us more frequently sharing posts and information from our members. Highlighting the amazing work they do is part of our mission, after all. We’ll also be using the platform as a means to connect our members to one another; to offer you another avenue by which to contact us; and to continue to advocate on your behalf. We have other exciting plans in the works, too, which we will announce in early 2018.

Over at twitter.com/aeanjcleanwater, you’ll find us sharing updates from our members and other organizations we respect; sharing news we think might be relevant to you and the public; and perhaps occasionally enjoying the lighter side of social media. We make an effort to follow all our member organizations, so if we missed you, follow us or send us a DM so we can ensure we add you to our follow list.

These venues are only the start. In the months ahead we plan to expand the way we reach members and the public in a number of ways. The world we live in is now a multimedia world. There is no ignoring that. In order to best serve you, and in turn help you better serve your ratepayers, we have to keep pace with those changes in how we interact with one another. We aim to do exactly that.